Looking Forward To A ‘GH’ January

TVSource Magazine’s editor shares his happiness over GH’s January storylines — the end of a failed experiment and the climax of a controversial triangle.

I didn’t think it could happen but it finally did. General Hospital head writer Bob Guza has me excited for what is shaping up to be a very exciting and action packed January! This is more than just your usual guns and explosions. In fact, the most exciting stories about January have NOTHING to do with the guns and explosions. It’s the emotional, character-focused drama that has me excited.

This month, the affair between Elizabeth and Nikolas will be exposed in a big way! Given what we know, 3-time statue winner Jonathan Jackson (Lucky) will be getting his first helping of Emmy bait when once Lucky learns the truth about his fiancée and his older brother. One of the exciting things about this storyline is how divided over it fans are.
There are those Liz and Lucky fans who can’t believe Elizabeth would betray Lucky like this (again). There are the Nikolas and Elizabeth fans, who are enjoying the fact that the show finally went there with these two. Then there are those who, like me, simply enjoy the storyline and all of its scandalous soapiness.

This story doesn’t just affect the obvious parties, but the entire Spencer-Cassadine-Webber family. Luke has known about the affair for months, yet he hasn’t told Lucky the truth. How will Luke react when he realizes he could have avoided the added heartbreak by just confessing the truth? And then there’s Lulu, the sister who loves her brothers dearly. How will she react when she learns the truth? Then there’s the brewing rivalry between Elizabeth’s newly returned half-brother Steve (Scott Reeves) and her lover Nikolas. This story is juicy in almost any direction it goes.

Another storyline I’m excited for this month is the end of what I’ll call, “The Dark Knight Ripoff” “The Franco Experiment.” What should have been/could have been an interesting storyline with Golden Globe winner James Franco, turned into the same old song and dance when it comes to mobsters Sonny and Jason and the lives they lead.
Bob Guza’s Go-To Guide for a Mob Story:

Dangerous foe? Check.

Slight obsession with Sonny and/or Jason? Check.

Audience led to believe Sonny and/or Jason have to eliminate the foe to get: back at/save someone/protect a secret/etc.? Check.

Loved one in danger? Check.

Superhero rescue with guns and explosions? Check.

Take all that, change some names and scenarios here and there and wash, rinse repeat. It’s like storyline mad libs! If it sounds like I haven’t enjoyed the Franco experiment, you would be correct. I, like many fans, thought it was an awful attempt to keep the viewers on the edge of the seats. If we hadn’t seen variations of the same storyline at least 5 other times before (Rivera, Sorel, Sandoval, Ruiz and Zacchara to name a few), then maybe. Instead the story and stunt casting was a big ol’ epic failure. So where does all this excitement come in? As I said, it has nothing to do with the guns and explosions, but the emotional character-focused drama.

Sam being in danger will remind Jason of just how important she is to him and the impact she has on his life. As ABC kindly reminded viewers, “the love of his life” was in danger (yet again). With their declaration of love on Christmas Eve, this bout of danger will surely bring Jason & Sam closer together, reminding them both of how short life can be. I’ll have more to say on Jason and Sam, including what I like and dislike about their story in a few days.

It’s my hope GH is able to use the build and payoff in January to produce an exciting sweeps period, preferably one that focuses on the characters and not the plot. But who am I kidding, this is General Hospital, and if there’s a February sweeps, there has to be an anti-climatic climatic event…right?

About the author

Ryan White-Nobles

Ryan White-Nobles is Editor-in-Chief of TVSource Magazine. He's a natural #Heel who loves a spirited debate and probably watches too much TV. Follow him on Twitter at @SourceRyan to discuss all things TV, soaps, sports, wrestling and pop culture.